Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Hospitals say they're ready for emergencies during strike
  Hospital officials say they plan to fully staff emergency rooms and childbirth wards at all 14 hospitals where nurses are expected to strike Thursday.6:20 a.m.
• Biking to work, without the post-ride shine
  Organizers of Bike Walk Week want more people to commute to work without a vehicle. Part of the equation for some cyclists -- women or men -- is figuring out how to deal with the glow one acquires while pedaling.6:25 a.m.
• Plans finalized for new state park at Lake Vermilion
  A new state park in northeastern Minnesota could be open for hiking as soon as this fall. Gov. Pawlenty and a top U.S. Steel executive have finalized a deal in which the state will buy three thousand acres on the shore of Lake Vermilion for $18 million. Cathy Wurzer talked to Courtland Nelson,Director of Parks and Trails at the Department of Natural Resources, who estimated the park could have 300 thousand visitors a year.7:20 a.m.
• Crops, raw milk, school closings, and sheep in the city -- an update from Worthington
  Mark Steil joins Morning Edition's Cathy Wurzer to talk about crops, raw milk, education and ..... sheep.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Justice Department Probes Spill; Charges Expected
  BP is capturing more oil from its blown-out well but plenty of oil is still leaking into the Gulf. David Uhlmann, a law professor at the University of Michigan, talks to Steve Inskeep about corporate criminal liability in environmental cases. Uhlmann is a former chief of the environmental crimes section of the Justice Department.
• Plight For Pelicans: Oil Puts Nesting Season At Risk
  One year after graduating from the endangered species list, Louisiana's brown pelicans are in danger again, as their nesting islands are surrounded by oil. Baby birds are especially at risk as their parents bring them fish — and deadly oil — from the Gulf.
• Marijuana's Black Market: Will It Stay Or Will It Go?
  In the past year, hundreds of dispensaries have popped up in Colorado, taking a bite out of underground drug dealers' sales. But drug dealers aren't disappearing for a simple reason: Their pot is cheaper. And stricter marijuana laws passed Monday may force some dispensary owners back into the black market.
• Gross National Happiness Measures Quality Of Life
  The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has pledged to manage its nation's well-being by measuring Gross National Happiness, rather than the more popular gauge Gross Domestic Product. In Vermont, a global gathering of proponents of this alternative scale gathered to discuss GNH and how to adapt it for Western use.
• Reality And Fine Art Collide In New Bravo Series
  In the tradition of Bravo's past reality hits, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist has painters, video artists and photographers competing for the chance to display their work in New York's Brooklyn Museum and, of course, a comfy cash prize.
• Does Averting Cyberwar Mean Giving Up Web Privacy?
  The old challenge of providing public safety while also protecting human rights has found a new manifestation in the cyber age. Security experts worry that cyberattacks can be directed remotely, with the perpetrator's identity and location a secret. But privacy advocates see the need to preserve anonymity for Internet users.
• 1 Year Later, Iran's Opposition Still Relies On Internet
  Social media have played an important role for the political opposition in Iran. After last year's disputed presidential election, powerful cell phone videos of the brutal crackdown on demonstrators appeared on the Internet. Cameran Ashraf of AccessNow.org talks to Deborah Amos about how social media brings attention to the events that are censored in Iran.
• Gold Prices Hit Record High
  Gold remains a safe haven in the eyes of investors who are rattled by trouble in Europe and uncertainty in other financial markets. At one point in trading Tuesday, gold hit $1,252 an ounce, though it dropped back a bit after that. Investors are buying gold because they think it will hold its value over time, better than other investments.
• For-Profit Colleges Fight Limits On Student Loans
  For-profit colleges are lobbying to kill new regulations designed to hold down student debt loads. The Department of Education is expected to formally propose rules that would cut off federal aid to colleges whose graduates don't earn enough to pay back their loans. A draft of the regulations was released in February.
• Grad Keeps On Trucking Despite Tough Job Market
  Christopher Self has spent the past six years working long days and nights as a truck driver. Driving along with financial assistance from the military helped him pay his way through college. But he's still searching for a way to put his degree to good use in the business world.

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